Page 34 of Juliet's Touch

“A lion,” Emily called.

Juliet backhanded her. “Don’t help them.”

“A lion,” Alexander said.

Mr. Stone broke character to tap his nose and hold up five fingers.

“Fifth word,” Alexander said.

Mr. Stone nodded and stretched his mouth wide, moving it in all directions.

“Yawning,” Emily whispered in Juliet’s direction. “He is quite good. Well, quite a lot of things, really.”

“Stop gibbering, you two.” Alexander gave Emily one of his not very convincing glowers. “A lion yawning,” he called.

Mr. Stone crawled in a circle, lay on his side, folded his hands beneath his cheek, and closed his eyes.

Alexander bolted off the settee. “A lion sleeping. A lion napping. A lion dreaming”

“It’s five words, you silly goose,” Emily said.

“A lion taking a nap,” Alexander yelled.

Mr. Stone opened his eyes and grinned. Juliet’s heart tumbled all over itself.

Alexander’s arm shot into the air. “Huzzah! A lion taking a nap.” He rushed to his brother and fell on top of him. The two grown men rolled around playfully punching each other in what was a rather appealing display of athleticism. Meanwhile, Lord Chesterhill chuckled.

“Egad,” Emily eventually murmured. “Alexander, get off him or I will think you would prefer to share your bed with him tonight.”

Laughing, Alexander stood and held out his hand to pull the grinning Mr. Stone to his feet. “Well done, mate. You are jolly good at charades.”

“And the final score is Sugar and Spice, six. Snips and Snails, five,” Lord Chesterhill said. “The ladies win.”

Emily and Juliet leapt to their feet and twirled about the room in a celebratory dance, displaying a modicum more decorum than the wrestling brothers just had.

“Well, I suppose ’tis getting quite late.” Lord Chesterhill stood. “I have asked Cook to have a formal breakfast ready for tomorrow morning at ten.”

“How lovely,” Juliet said.

“Our guest washroom is splendid, Eric,” Lord Chesterhill said. “I will have warm water sent up in the morning so you can bathe.”

Juliet bit her tongue, so that she didn’t go on and on about how wonderful the water closet was. Such a conversation was probably most indecent, although the men had just rolled around on the floor like juveniles. Not to mention, she and Emily had drooled over Mr. Stone’s fine derriere.

“Then we shall all have an afternoon constitutional,” Emily said.

“Although the air is chilly, ’tis life-affirming,” Juliet added.

“I’m afraid Stone is leaving us after we break our fast,” Alexander said.

“No.” Emily stared at their guest with puppy dog eyes. The look had never worked on their mother, but oh, had Father fallen for it. To her credit, Emily had further mastered the adorable pleading expression while living with the Beckett men. “Boo. You can’t leave us, Mr. Stone. We are having such a delightful visit.”

Juliet’s thoughts exactly.

“I have decided to stay an extra day or two,” Mr. Stone said. “If that suits?”

Lord Chesterhill grinned. “Nothing would please me more. Let me walk you to your room, and we can discuss the details.”

Alexander clapped Mr. Stone on the back. “Excellent decision, mate.”

Their visitor followed Lord Chesterhill out the door as Juliet’s heart fluttered like a leaf in the wind. A runaway engaged to a man she detested and obsessed with a masked avenger who had kissed her in public, all while her heart performed death-defying acrobatics for a handsome pugilist who had crawled around on all fours as she ogled him. She was beyond hope.